A Servant's Heart

This past Monday, the Tacoma Rescue Mission held a graduation at Life Center Church for those who have completed the New Life Program and Family Life Program. It was a very exciting and inspiring event that not only allowed us to celebrate the accomplishments of those who have worked hard to transform their lives through these programs, but it also allowed us and the youth the opportunity to lend a helping hand and serve others. The teen leadership group, which typically meets every Monday night from 6 to 8 pm, attended the graduation this past week as servants. They dressed their best, and they represented the Tacoma Rescue Mission very well by holding open doors, greeting people as they walked in, and serving food during the reception that proceeded after the ceremony. And it wasn't easy! It was a challenge for the youth to serve the food--the line was long, with the end nowhere in sight, and the youth were hungry. It was tough for me too. It was my dinnertime, but I had to wait alongside the kids to eat only after everyone else, about 300 other people, ate first. I was impressed with them, though. They handed out food and filled everyone else's plates before serving themselves. They did an awesome job!
I hope that, through experiences like these, the teens are challenged and are given an opportunity to grow. Hopefully, from this sort of perspective, the youth can have a deeper appreciation for all of the help we get everyday at Tyler Square from our generous volunteers. It's not so easy to give your time away so freely, and we at the Youth Department are so blessed with a constant influx of volunteers.
Ultimately, I pray that we use Monday nights to coordinate a group of teens who come to understand leadership as a means of getting along with people instead of understanding leadership as how much power one has over other people, as Mohandas Gandhi once said. So it is our goal here to define leadership as an act of serving rather than dictating. And through this, the teens can be encouraged to go out and give back to their community in a positive way, in a way that is similar to how our volunteers give to us.